CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Six teams are set to battle it out for bragging rights during the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship with quarterfinal action ushering in “March Madness” in the Callan Athletic Center on Thursday.
Top-seeded and nationally/regionally-ranked Cedarville (25-3, 15-1 G-MAC) enters as the favorite on paper. The Yellow Jackets earned the right to host this year’s tournament with the regular-season title outright and will have their fan base as an advantage.
With the history of the conference tournament still relatively young in its third year of existence, Cedarville is looking to buck a trend that has slowly surfaced for the G-MAC’s top seeds entering the postseason.
Last year, Kentucky Wesleyan stunned No. 1 seed Trevecca Nazarene in the final while then-G-MAC member and second-seeded Urbana turned the tables on TNU to finish the 2012-13 campaign.
This time around, 22nd-ranked Cedarville earned the opening-round bye along with No. 2 Trevecca Nazarene (17-9, 14-2 G-MAC). CU is not only playing for conference title dreams, but aspirations of qualifying for the national tournament are still alive as an at-large bid.
The Yellow Jackets await the winner of either No. 4 Davis & Elkins (13-13, 8-8 G-MAC) or No. 5 Central State (11-17, 7-9 G-MAC).
Trevecca Nazarene will meet either No. 3 Kentucky Wesleyan (18-8, 13-3 G-MAC) or No. 6 Ursuline (8-20, 6-10 G-MAC) in Friday’s semifinal action that is scheduled to tip at 5 p.m. EST. CU will take the floor for the late semifinal matchup at 7:30 p.m.
The championship final will be played out on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
A live video/audio broadcast with live stats for each game will be streamed for fans inside the Callan Athletic Center. G-MACsports.com will feature postgame interviews with the winning team’s head coach and a player to be determined.
No. 6 Ursuline Arrows (8-20, 6-10 G-MAC)
The Arrows were the final team to punch their ticket to the postseason as several regular-season scenarios unfolded down the stretch. Ursuline can dial it up in a hurry from long distance (202 three-point field goals made) and should be considered a dangerous draw in the bracket despite holding the sixth seed.
UC has struck that harmonious chord that blends together senior leadership (Emma Ricketts, Brianna Woods) and rising underclassman talent (Makayla Rosselot, Madison Schroeder, Erica Huber). Rosselot led the team in scoring at 13 points per game, including a 32-point outburst vs. Central State.
No. 5 Central State Marauders (11-17, 7-9 G-MAC)
Central State ended the regular season by winning four of its last five games, including a gaudy stat line put up by Kourtni Perry following a 30-point, 25-rebound effort. Perry shattered the G-MAC’s single-game rebounding record and her glass eating contributes to the team’s inside-outside prowess with dynamic scoring guard Iniquia Snell.
Snell led the team in 17 of the team’s 28 games in scoring. The Marauders fell short against the top four seeds in the tournament bracket in both meetings this year, but CSU gave Cedarville an overtime scare back on Jan. 3.
No. 4 Davis & Elkins (13-13, 8-8 G-MAC)
The Senators have as formidable of a trio as anyone can field in the G-MAC with the ringleader being bruising forward Sharmaine Baker. Baker does plenty of damage in the post and she scored over 500 points this year alone for a 19.3 ppg average.
Complementing Baker on the perimeter are underrated guards Ashley Bowles and Stephanie Wooten, who can shoulder the scoring load if necessary. The Senators have carved out a regular-season sweep against their opening-round matchup, Central State. Beating a team three times over the course of the season can be a daunting challenge, but D&E won back-to-back games to finish the regular season.
No. 3 Kentucky Wesleyan (18-8, 13-3 G-MAC)
The third-seeded Panthers have quietly won five of their last six and are poised to make noise as an experienced championship-winning program in their quest to repeat. Senior forward Jordanne Gambill has elevated her game to another level, leading KWC in scoring in seven of the past nine contests.
Kentucky Wesleyan is balanced with a pair of double-digit scorers and they combine hard-nosed defense to keep opponents off balance. Only Trevecca Nazarene and Cedarville were able to trip the Panthers up in league play.
No. 2 Trevecca Nazarene (17-9, 14-2 G-MAC)
The Trojans are peaking at the right time, blazing to 10 straight wins coming into the postseason. TNU has a signature win as the only team to beat Cedarville during the regular season.
In the 10-game win streak since Jan. 22, Trevecca Nazarene has beaten every team in the G-MAC. The Trojans seemingly churn out a different leading scorer on a nightly basis, a testament to the interchangeable parts in the coaching system. Kaci Britt Bell and Paige Baugher have both been conference athletes of the week this year.
No. 1 Cedarville (25-3, 15-1 G-MAC)
The Yellow Jackets have been every bit deserving of their national ranking, which has ranged up to as high as No. 22 this year. Cedarville reeled off an unbeaten record in the Callan Athletic Center at 13-0 and the deep roster is riddled with all-conference performers.
An 11-game win streak in January pushed the Yellow Jackets into consideration in the national polls and Cedarville will make an attempt to move up in the Midwest Region rankings one more time before Selection Sunday. Raegan Ryan and Kayla Linkous are a dangerous 1-2 combo and their scoring exploits are worth the price of admission alone.